Home
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) owner Sanjiv Goenka has responded to speculations around Rishabh Pant’s captaincy ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign opener against Delhi Capitals (DC) at home.
“Heading into the season, I had read the speculations around @RishabhPant17's captaincy and smiled. We’ve spent enough time together to know his character and commitment. Have a great season, Cap!” Goenka wrote on X.
LSG finish 7th, Pant’s scores dip
Pant had a poor season after he was roped in for a record-breaking sum of Rs 27 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. However, he struggled with the bat. LSG lost a few close games and finished seventh on the points table with eight losses from 14 games.
Pant averaged 24.45 with the bat. His average would've dipped even further had it not been for the unbeaten 118 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He managed to score 269 runs from 13 innings at a strike rate of 133.16. Apart from a century, he scored just one fifty in the season.
Goenka wants more than playoffs spot
LSG have made it to playoffs twice. Goenka wants more from the franchise. He feels that a team doesn’t get the respect until it lifts the trophy.
“I think the true identity is still evolving. For any sports team, until you win, you don’t receive the same level of respect or affection that comes with lifting the trophy. Yes, we’ve made the playoffs twice, but that’s clearly not good enough. You win some, you lose some, but we have to win our first trophy," Goenka said on JioHotstar.
In addition, LSG chose to look at the positives in their opening pair Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh along with mystery spinner Digvesh Rathi. He feels that the team did well despite a depleted pace attack.
“The positive (from IPL 2025) was that we won four of our first six games despite most of our frontline bowlers being injured. There were some bold moves, Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh opening, which isn’t their usual position, and it turned out to be their best IPL season for both of them. Digvesh Rathi came in as a complete newcomer and did well for us. However, we did realise that we lacked a strong bowling core, and we’ve consciously addressed that by building a domestic Indian bowling unit this time. We’re happy with what we have," he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
